Show biz of success

With a conviction to impart value education through films, Syed Sultan Ahmed, Managing Director, EduMedia India came with the Idea of School Cinema under the umbrella of EduMedia. In a candid chat with Ekta Sharma Verma, he shares the vision behind this p

EduMedia enriches the lives of children through progressive initiatives using media. With over 15 years of focused experience, creative methodology and extensive research, EduMedia has continuously created inspiring and innovative offerings that are benchmarks in the Indian education space. EduMedia has four major verticals: Krayon, Activity, Mentor and School Cinema that aim at empowering children and educators through events, training, publishing and films. EduMedia reaches out to over three million children from over 30,000 schools across the Indian sub-continent annually. EduMedia’s research in the kids’ segment has been published in various International journals. Its School Cinema films have won National Film Awards and have been featured in over 30 International Film Festivals. In addition, specialised, award-winning events executed by Krayon, have positioned it as the leader in the kids’ edutainment business.

Share with us the inception of School Cinema and success story of your brand.

School Cinema is the brand for which we have decided to go the franchise way. Children need help in dealing with issues that affect them. Most children encounter difficulties when it comes to problems like tackling failure, relationships, sexuality, exam fear, rejection, peer pressure, stress, adolescent issues etc. The current format of value education system in schools does little to address these lacunae and is also not interesting enough from a child's point of view. Another insight was to enhance the role; parents and teachers play in the holistic development of students. This led to the inception of School Cinema.

The response to the concept of School Cinema was fantastic. Everyone loved the idea of using films for imparting value education. The schools at times found the concept to be too radical and ahead of its times. The challenge was to build it into something that would be included as a part of the curriculum. But these are being ironed out as people are becoming more accepting about using the audio-visual medium for education.

When and what motivated you to adopt the franchise route for your brand?

Any business needs a wide coverage to reach the maximum targeted segment. The cost involved in direct selling will be very high to cover the entire Indian market. When a franchisee invests into any business they always put in their best effort earn the RoI. Franchising ensures local presence of the company which helps in building the trust factor in that market. This also assists in better customer service and focused attention to a particular territory. Franchisee not only helps in sales and collection of proceeds, they also create brand awareness in their territory.

Share the USP of your brand.

School Cinema is an innovative concept in the field of value education that aims to create an impact on children using the influential medium of cinema. It’s a researched, film-based learning module supported by an interactive workbook designed to reaffirm life-skills, values and attitudes to children, educators and parents. The research and insight process forms the crux of the film. While the films engage the child and make him aware of the topic at hand, the workbook completes the circle of learning by making the child do fun activities and exercises based on the issue. This two-step approach ensures that the lessons get internalised, thus influencing young minds to make better choices for themselves as adults.

What according to you is the scope for aspiring franchisees in this business? Is the future bright in the years to come?

Education is a very fast growing sector in India. I see a lot more areas of education getting organised, this will lead to a lot more opportunities for new franchisees to come on board. Another good thing about working in this segment is the fact that once you make a foray into this space, there are a lot of parallel opportunities that emerge. If anyone gets into this industry, they should have a long term perspective. In the long run education is a great space to be in.

What all qualities do you seek in a prospective franchisee?

A passionate individual who is aggressive and wants to genuinely make a difference to the lives of children. School Cinema is a revolutionary project that requires a lot of understanding of the education space and children, so prospective franchisees should have a flair for learning.

What kind of training and related business support do you intend to offer to the franchisees?

We offer a three days intensive training to the franchisee. The training module covers deep insights of industry knowledge, company profile, product knowledge, product pricing and negotiation tools, school buying behaviour, selling strategies, mock sessions, customer relationship management and reporting.

We offer marketing support for the franchisee to generate leads and spread awareness about the concept. This can be in the form of marketing collaterals, events and workshops, press release, direct mailers and sales promotion. Beside this, we also assist franchisee in meetings and closure of the deals whenever required.

Share your expansion plans. Which cities are you tapping for expansion?

School Cinema has been implemented in more than 500 schools and amongst four lakh students across India, Nepal and The Middle East. We aim to reach 1,000 schools within India and reach 10-15 lakh students in the next 1-3 years through the school distribution model. On a product development front, we aim to bring out better films/products, research to come up with contemporary issues and insights, increase the distribution system to reach more touch points (retail/e-commerce/online/ applications on I pad/smart phones).

The information contained herein is of generic nature only, and Franchise India is not, by means of this website or any part thereof, rendering professional advice or services. Before making any decision or taking any action that might affect your finances or business, you should consult a qualified professional advisor. Your use of this website or any of its pages or links given, is at your own risk and you assume full responsibility and risk of loss resulting from your usage. With respect to use of the website, kindly visit www.franchiseindia.com/terms.